In my non-humble opinion, the most powerful word in the English language is constantly misused and terribly abused. The word is love - LOVE! It is used to describe someone’s feelings about everything from puppies to laxatives. Despite what the TV commercial says, people that “love” their laxative have more problems than constipation.
Do people really love their car? I hope not. That would mean they could marry the car. Yet, everyday we hear people say they love this or that. What they really mean is that they like something or enjoy something. The word love has become a throw away word. The true meaning has been lost. And, perhaps that’s why we live in a throw away world. If we love a new material something, but throw it away when we are tired of it, then it’s okay to love someone and throw them away after we tire of them. It happens everyday.
We get our language from a variety of other languages including Greek. There are six or maybe seven Greek words that we translate as love. Agape and phileo are two of them.
Phileo translates to a feeling for someone, such as a friend. This is what we often feel about those that are close to us as we navigate this little journey called life. But, some even take this word lightly. “Oh, I just love him/her,” someone might say about someone they barely know. Usually it only takes one misunderstanding or mistreatment for the love word to change to the hate word.
The word agape is complex, but what it really means is love. Love, in all circumstances and conditions. You might call it unconditional love. Unlike other words we use loosely, agape includes action. How many mothers would stay up all night with a sick child without this kind of love? You have to do something that you may not want to do. Perhaps swallow your pride, forgive when you have been terribly wronged or even suffer severe emotional or physical pain. That’s love.
This is the kind of love that God has. After all, he sent his only son to die. Can you love that much? I don’t think I could. Sacrifice an only child for people that hate you? I can only compare that to our military, police and firefighters. Sometimes they die to protect others and the best we can do is honor the wife, mother, father, children, brother or sister for their sacrifice.
STOP! Before you say it again. Do you really love this or that, or do you truly just like it or have affection for it?
Words have meanings. The word “love” is the most important and powerful word you can ever use.
Don’t waste it.
PMO
©2015
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